Newman will have a new crew for his Stewart-Haas team. Patrick is making a move from to SHR full time.

Tony Gibson and his crew have worked together for about six years as they came over as a group from Dale Earnhardt Inc. to SHR after the 2008 season. They will switch from Newman to Patrick.

"They're a good group, they work well together in good or bad," Zipadelli said. "They've worked with a lot of different drivers (at DEI). I have a lot of respect for Gibson. His glass is always half-full, he's always upbeat, he loves what he does.

"That's how I'm looking at it — it's easier to do that than to bring somebody else in that we don't know or I don't know as well as we know him and his disposition and attitude. I think he'd add an awful lot to her and that program."

Gibson, 47, whose NASCAR experience includes being car chief during Alan Kulwicki's championship run in 1992, is a fairly easy-going crew chief. He also is used to the media spotlight after working at DEI with drivers Mark Martin, Aric Almirola, Steve Park and Michael Waltrip. He has three career Sprint Cup victories, all with Newman.

His personality would mesh with the development of Patrick, who made the move from full-time IndyCar driver to full-time NASCAR driver this season after two years of a part-time NASCAR schedule that went along with a full-time IndyCar work.

Patrick struggled in the NASCAR Nationwide Series. She entered Saturday's race 11th in the series standings for JR Motorsports. She has run in six Cup races, with a career-best 25th two weeks ago at Chicagoland.

Zipadelli has been Patrick's crew chief in her partial Cup schedule.

"In the next week or two we'll make some decisions," Zipadelli said. "Right now I'm looking at what's best for her, surrounding her with the best people we can who are upbeat and positive."

As for Newman, Zipadelli said he has candidates that he would not name to take over as his crew chief. Newman missed the Chase for the Sprint Cup this season, the second time in his four years at SHR.

"Four years and we've either got to pick that program up or it's going to blow up," Zipadelli said. "I'm just trying to look at what's best for everything.

"We haven't quite made decisions on everything we're doing. I'm trying to get all the pieces to fall together pretty quick."

Sprint Cup teams had qualifying Saturday ahead of Sunday's AAA 400, the third race of the Chase.